Tag Archives: Body of Christ

Together, a holy calling and Amani ya Juu (higher peace)

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Pentecost 20 (2 Timothy 1:1-14)  10/6/2013

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A few years ago, I noticed a seminary classmate of mine wearing a beautiful priest’s stole, designed of patch work fabric. I asked my friend about the stole and she told me that it was made in Africa by a group of women who had formed a cooperative to sell handmade products. The opportunities for women in Africa remain very challenging, and a group of women in Nairobi, Kenya, came together to help each other by forming a program for marginalized women, a sewing and training program to help them work together and grow. The group is called Amani ya Juu, which means “higher peace” in the Swahili language. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI purchased a stole for myself and I am wearing it this morning. Since the time I purchased the stole, I think of these women and their families and I pray for them and their success. I also receive newsletters and updates of their work and their progress. This past Wednesday I received an email from the women of Amani and the subject line of the note read, “Westgate Attack in Kenya.” Two weeks ago this morning the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi was attacked by people who use violence to spread their sectarian religious beliefs and exert their forceful wills upon innocent, peace-loving people. The email from the women of Amani, who are centered in Nairobi, quoted Joyce Muraya, Kenya Country Director for the Amani women’s group: “It is hard to celebrate [that no one from Amani was harmed] when so many have lost their lives…On that Sunday, part of my family made its way to Nairobi hospital to donate blood. We stood in line with people of all races and faiths. As I lay there pumping away watching the red of my blood slowly flood the small translucent bag, next to me was a British lady…Her blood was red too. On the bed next to me my daughter Wamuyu filled her bottle rapidly with red blood. In the queue was a lovely Rwandan woman. We each received a sweet cool drink provided by a business man of Indian extraction. As we were leaving, two Muslim women…came in also to donate blood. Somehow this underlined our common humanity.”[i] In the midst of violence and chaos, the strength and peace of God came from those who responded with compassion using the means available to them; Joyce Muraya’s message highlights this truth. The world in which we live can certainly be a very challenging place, but as we come together, the gifts of the full community of believers creates a positive and powerful force that can take up any challenge. Continue reading →

Flashes of Heavenly Light

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Pentecost 19 (Luke 16:19-31)  09/29/2013

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Abraham said to the rich man, “Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.” (Luke 16:26) There are many, many images of heaven in the Bible; some images are glorious, open and expansive, while other images are rather foreboding and exclusive. This morning’s story of Lazarus’ place in heaven and the rich man’s tormented existence in Hades is of the foreboding and exclusive variety. We have a difficult time trying to state with great certainty what any place is truly like when that place remains so elusive, just beyond our earthly grasp. If we desire to know the secrets of the heavenly dwelling place of God, the many and seemingly contrasting images from the Bible do not help us create the one true image we seek. These images may be fruitful inspiration for the artists and authors throughout the centuries who have brought their talents to the fertile ground of capturing the secrets of heaven in their many forms of art and literature. But what about the rest of us? What about our practical daily existence as we live our days with the doors of heaven just beyond our sight? Roger Ferlo, an Episcopal Priest and author, recently edited a collection of thoughtful essays on this very subject in a book appropriately titled, Heaven. In the introduction of his book, Ferlo suggests an earthly method of searching for the mysteries of heaven: “Only by considering closely the things of this world can we have any clue about the things of the next. This is an ancient insight, what the medieval theologians called the analogy of being. It is the conviction that in the [very being] of God’s creation we discern, if only by analogy or metaphor or indirection, a glimpse of the divine beauty and the divine splendor, what the poet T.S. Eliot called ‘a wink of heaven.'”[i] Ferlo’s suggestion is that in the very world in which we live, there are flashes of heavenly light, undeniable moments of God’s grace breaking in to our world. These moments are there for our inspiration and understanding, unless we choose to look the other way. And this brings us back to the rich man and Lazarus. Continue reading →

Godly love and care

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Pentecost 3 (1 Kings 17:8-24)  06/09/2013

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My family and I have enjoyed spending time in the great outdoors and have particularly enjoyed camping for several years. As we moved from the suburbs of Chicago to the outskirts of Washington D.C., we decided we would pay a bit extra and store our camper in a storage area so it would be close by. After many months of finding ourselves too busy, we finally packed up the camper and headed west to the Shenandoah National Park to enjoy the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah Valley. There were many beautiful and interesting sites to see, but there was one experience that was especially memorable. As we were driving along Skyline Drive, we noticed a black bear crossing the road, and suddenly the bear stopped halfway across. After a brief pause, there were two bear cubs that emerged from the bush and crossed the road as their mother closely watched; once the cubs were safely to the other side, the mother followed behind. The experience was exciting to watch, especially from the safety of our car! I am certain the experience for the West Hartford family that encountered a black bear in their backyard last week was not nearly as exciting to watch. However, the incident did give an example of how a mother’s love for her family knows no bounds; like a scene out of a movie, a wondering black bear and her two cubs enter the backyard of a mom and her family. When the overzealous bear decided she was going to enter the home, the courageous mom firmly stood her ground at the back door with her foot extended, just to be sure there was no misunderstanding – “no entry allowed!” This type of motherly love and care is exactly what we hear in the story of the prophet Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. Continue reading →

“Spending some personal time with Christ”

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O'CollinsExperiencing Jesus by Gerald O’Collins, SJ; Chapter 2 – “Jesus the Meaning”

As we continue our journey through Lent, the second chapter of O’Collins’ book challenges us to consider our personal relationship with Jesus. O’Collins begins the chapter with a brief story of Augustine, a fourth century Christian of great renown, and his ill-conceived plan to wait for his teacher, Faustus, in order to learn all the secrets of life. Augustine was convinced that Faustus’ arrival would make all things known and his life’s plan would unfold clearly from the knowledge obtained from his insightful teacher. Faustus did arrive and impart his knowledge to Augustine, but everything in Augustine’s life was not neatly explained as he had thought. Life is a journey of unfolding truths, gained through experiences revealed to those with open minds and open hearts. The people of Nazareth struggled with this truth, as they rejected Jesus’ ministry among them as simply the works of the familiar carpenter. Although their actions may surprise us, we too can be guilty of trying to domesticate Jesus or suffer from over-familiarity with the powerful news of the Gospel…happily nodding to ourselves, “yes, I know that story and its lesson quite well.”

Lent is a season that particularly calls us to prayer and action in specific and personal ways. The lenten road is a journey that must be made with great intimacy and with personal intentions toward Jesus and all that Jesus invites us to be. O’Collins captures the intimacy and intentionality of Lent with the following words: “What ultimately matters is the ‘felt’ knowledge of our own experience…It is the same with our experience of Jesus. We experience him for ourselves or not at all. We pray to him ourselves or not at all. No one else, not even the dearest or closest person in our life, can take our place here. We do our praying to and our experiencing of Jesus personally…When Jesus knocks on our door, it is we who must open it to him. Here we cannot say to another person: ‘Please get up and see who is at the door of my heart.'” (p. 26) O’Collins’ insight is true for Lent and it is true for the days beyond Lent, when we continue to experience our ongoing and unfolding relationship with Jesus and with others. Throughout this holy season of Lent, let us renew and refresh our desire to seek Jesus in the grace given to us each day. The personal experiences that shape our lives and draw us into deeper relationships are forged through our desire and our commitment to our common life together.

“Gifts of the Spirit, participating in God’s Love”

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Epiphany 2C (1 Cor 12:1-11)  01/20/2013

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Just a few weeks after my graduation from college, several friends of mine and I moved to Orlando, FL in order to attend a six month Navy training course. I had known one of my roommates throughout my college days and he had become a great friend. A person of integrity and intelligence, he was a steady and thoughtful presence during those demanding days of school. We shared many long days, lots of laughs, and some challenging times, but we were confident of our future and we had great plans. My friend was going to serve his commitment to the Navy and then leave the service behind to pursue other interests. I was sure of my future in the Navy and I fully intended to make a career of it, 20 years or more. We had different visions of our future, but we were both quite confident we knew the things that mattered most in our lives and we were determined to achieve our goals. Continue reading →

“Welcome to the family – adopted as children of God”

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Trinity Sunday (Romans 8:12-17)  06/03/2012

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A few years ago my family decided to venture west for our summer vacation, starting our week in Las Vegas and ending our trip in Phoenix. The highlight of the vacation was a tour of the Grand Canyon and the surrounding area; we were all really looking forward to the many beautiful and amazing natural wonders of this area. My sister and her family were excited to join us and in the heat of early July we all headed west to explore sites unseen. The desert landscapes and the rugged terrain of Arizona were most memorable for me and we spent many days touring the great outdoors as a close family unit. We peered across the Grand Canyon in many spots (and carefully looked down into the Canyon every once in awhile), but the greatest family fun was a one day journey down the Colorado River, starting in northern Arizona. Floating down the river with the canyon walls reaching high around us on either side was an incredible experience; an experience that helped me to understand why these canyons have been considered sacred space for so many generations of people. Everyone was having lots of fun as we floated down the river, but about halfway through the day one of the kids in the family became affected by the heat and needed immediate attention. Everyone worked together to provide all that was necessary for the young family member in need, coming together to provide care and comfort in ways that people do when they love and depend on each other. Families of people come in many shapes and sizes, and families experience times of joy and challenge, but the essence of being together as a family is the ongoing endeavor of relationship, the ongoing work of being together for each other. Continue reading →

“Traveling the Pilgrim road”

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Fifth Sunday of Easter (Acts 8:26-40)  05/06/2012

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From my earliest days of school I can remember learning about the Pilgrims of the Bay Colony and their struggles to live in a land that was new and foreign to them. Growing up in New England, the story of how these early settlers survived their first winter through the generosity and instruction of the native people they encountered created powerful images of two worlds coming together for the good. In thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest that was granted to them through the grace of God, these early Pilgrims took time out of their day and they ate turkey, they watched football and took a nap late in the afternoon…oh wait, that was last year! The first Thanksgiving was a bit different from the celebrations of today, but the Pilgrims of nearly four centuries ago did share something with pilgrims that set out on journeys today – pilgrims are in search for the grace and love of God as it is to be found in our world. Last Sunday at the forum we heard stories and saw many wonderful pictures of the mission trip to Cuba; and although the journey was a mission trip, the experience was also a pilgrimage to a special place where God’s grace is to be discovered among the people of Cuba…and this discovery cannot help but transform the traveling pilgrim. This morning in our Sunday forum we were introduced to the J2A pilgrimage to Belize. For the young men and women of the J2A class, their pilgrimage comes as a continuing element of their growth and development as young Christians. And this is the very idea of pilgrimage: a pilgrim sets out on a journey to discover things unknown, marvel at mysteries never experienced, and ultimately, to imagine how all these wonders point to the grace of God. The pilgrim sets out on a journey confident that the road traveled will provide a unique experience and foster the growth and development of one’s faith. Continue reading →

“The Incarnate God among us”

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The Third Sunday of Easter (Luke 24:36-48)  4/22/2012

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Several months ago the Global Missions Committee began planning a trip to visit our companion church in Cuba. As the planning continued over the course of several weeks we learned more about the travel arrangements, the needs of the church in Santa Cruz del Norte, and we learned more about the Cuban people of our companion parish. Two weeks ago today, on Easter Sunday, we packed our cars full of eight bags of needed supplies and readied ourselves for an early Monday morning, arriving at the airport before sunrise. Our journey continued and with each moment we moved closer and closer to the community of Santa Cruz: we navigated through security lines, encountered long bag check lines, we lost our luggage, we found our luggage, and we finally arrived in Havana. We soon met Father Frank, members of the Cathedral staff, and when we arrived in Santa Cruz del Norte on Wednesday we met the eagerly waiting members of our companion church – all in the flesh. We can learn many important pieces of information via email and over the phone, but experiencing people up close and in the flesh is an experience that cannot be matched by any form of long distance communication. Throughout our week long visit to Cuba, our personal interactions with our Cuban friends profoundly shaped our experience and were the source of our lasting impression of their hospitality and grace. Continue reading →

“Will Our Children Have Faith?”

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Will our children have faith? An interesting question, and the title of an informative and insightful book by John Westerhoff, III. Although first published in 1976 and revised in 2000, the book is just as relevant as the first day it was printed. And you might wonder, is it important that our children have faith…is this aspect of our lives important to us, both individually and collectively? The Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life published a study in December 2009 entitled “How Religious is your State?” – the results varied, but the national averages showed that slightly more than half of those surveyed thought weekly worship attendance and daily prayer were important, while about 70% were certain of the existence of God. So, at least in some degree (and definitions vary widely, of course) faith in God still has significance in our society. This begs the question, if something is important, what are we doing about it? Westerhoff opens his book with the following words: “It is a truism that Christian faith and education are inevitable companions. Wherever living faith exists, there is a community endeavoring to know, understand, live, and witness to that faith.”[i] Again, what are we actually doing about the development of our faith; how are we “endeavoring to know, understand, live, and witness to that faith.” Certainly there are many wonderful programs alive and well throughout the country, but there are also many disturbing trends that appear to be going unnoticed. Continue reading →

“The habit of being an intentional Christian”

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1st Sunday after Epiphany [The Baptism of our Lord] (Mark 1:4-11)  1/8/2012

Happy New Year! We are now one week into the New Year, and if you have made a resolution I pray that you are still holding on strong to your new habits. The New Year offers a new beginning and a time that some people choose to make a resolution. There are, of course, all types of resolutions that people make for themselves, but most resolutions involve some type of change: a change from one behavior to another; a change from one way of being to another way of being. The really hard part of successfully achieving the new way of life is actually making it stick – how is it that the resolution becomes a permanent habit; the new practice becomes the new way of living. According to many reports that I have recently read in the media success comes through diligent practice – repetition creates the permanent habit. I have read that 4 or 5 weeks of practice will make the newly desired habit “successful.” This is nice to imagine, but I have fallen off the “daily exercise” wagon enough times to wonder if this estimate is really accurate. Several weeks of practice will get you going in the right direction, but constant immersion in a community that supports and sustains the new habit is certainly best, whether your resolution is the mastery of a new language, adherence to a new diet, or any other manner of new living. No matter what the challenge might be in your life, those closest to us help us as we seek to live our lives in new ways. Continue reading →